"Today and last game are like night and day," he said. "Before the game, we talked about scoring first and putting pressure on Kamehameha. We need to play with a lot more heart, and a lot more desire."

Medeiros said that the team had worked hard in practice, and brought some of that intensity to the game.

"If we can play at that level all the time, we can beat anyone in the MIL," he said.

Medeiros said that the league is loaded with youth and talent this year, but the Sabers' goal is to win their first MIL title since 1996.

"I've been here since '83, so it's been awhile," Medeiros said. "We're still a long way from that, and we're just focusing on one game at a time."

Kamehameha, which outshot Maui High, had won its previous league game 9-0 over St. Anthony on Thursday at Kanaiaupuni Stadium.

"Our field up at Kamehameha is much bigger, so our girls play bigger," said Warriors coach Steven Mau. "We had a hard time playing in traffic."

Mau, originally from Oahu, spends much of his time coaching club teams. He said that one of the difficulties in coaching high school players is their experience with other coaches and clubs.

"They don't jive," said Mau. "We've got five different styles trying to become one. But there's no excuses, we lost. It's a learning experience for the girls, and myself."